Energy Audit — Commercial Building Assessment

Run a full energy audit for commercial or industrial facilities. Identifies waste, models savings, and generates a prioritized retrofit roadmap with ROI timelines.

What It Does

Collects utility data (electric, gas, water, steam) across 12+ months
Benchmarks consumption against ASHRAE and ENERGY STAR baselines
Identifies the top 10 energy conservation measures (ECMs) ranked by payback period
Calculates simple payback, IRR, and lifecycle cost for each measure
Generates an ASHRAE Level II audit report with executive summary
Flags utility rate optimization opportunities (demand response, TOU shifting)
Maps available rebates and incentive programs by state/region

How to Use

Tell your agent: - "Run an energy audit for our 45,000 sq ft office building" - "Analyze our utility bills and find savings opportunities" - "Create a retrofit roadmap for our warehouse — budget is $200K"

Provide: 1. Building type — office, retail, warehouse, manufacturing, healthcare, education 2. Square footage and location (climate zone matters) 3. 12 months of utility bills (or monthly kWh/therms if summarized) 4. Operating hours — shifts, weekend usage, seasonal patterns 5. Major equipment — HVAC age/type, lighting, compressed air, process loads

Audit Framework

Benchmarking

EUI (Energy Use Intensity) = total kBtu ÷ sq ft
Compare against CBECS median by building type
ENERGY STAR score target: 75+ (top quartile)

Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs)

Category	Typical Savings	Payback
LED retrofit	40-60% lighting	1-3 years
HVAC controls/BMS	15-25% HVAC	2-4 years
VFDs on motors/fans	20-50% motor	1-3 years
Envelope (insulation, air sealing)	10-20% heating/cooling	3-7 years
Demand response enrollment	5-15% peak demand	Immediate
Solar PV	30-70% electric	5-8 years (with ITC)
Heat recovery	10-30% thermal	2-5 years

Financial Analysis

For each ECM: - Simple payback = cost ÷ annual savings - IRR = internal rate of return over equipment life - Lifecycle cost = install + maintenance - savings - rebates over useful life - Avoided cost = include utility escalation rate (typically 2-4%/year)

Rebate & Incentive Check

Federal: ITC (30% solar), 179D deduction ($0.50-$5.00/sq ft)
State: DSIRE database lookup by ZIP code
Utility: custom incentive programs ($/kWh saved, $/kW reduced)

Output Format

ENERGY AUDIT REPORT
Building: [name] | Type: [type] | Size: [sq ft] | Location: [city, state]

CURRENT PERFORMANCE
Annual Energy Cost: $XXX,XXX
EUI: XX.X kBtu/sq ft (benchmark: XX.X — [above/below] median)
ENERGY STAR Score: XX/100

TOP RECOMMENDATIONS (ranked by payback)
#1: [ECM] — $XX,XXX savings/yr | $XX,XXX cost | X.X yr payback | XX% IRR
#2: [ECM] — ...

TOTAL OPPORTUNITY
Combined Savings: $XXX,XXX/yr (XX% reduction)
Total Investment: $XXX,XXX
Blended Payback: X.X years
Available Rebates: $XX,XXX

IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP
Phase 1 (0-6 mo): [quick wins — LED, controls, demand response]
Phase 2 (6-18 mo): [HVAC, VFDs, envelope]
Phase 3 (18-36 mo): [renewables, major retrofits]

Why This Matters

Commercial buildings waste 30% of the energy they consume (DOE). A $500K/year energy bill typically has $150K+ in recoverable savings. Most measures pay for themselves in 2-4 years, then it's pure margin.

Built by AfrexAI — AI context packs for real business operations.

Explore more tools: - AI Revenue Calculator — find where your business leaks money - Agent Setup Wizard — deploy AI agents in minutes - Context Packs — $47 industry-specific agent configs for Manufacturing, Professional Services, and more

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